Kelp Gulls Feeding on Bait

CNN PRODUCER NOTEKen Howard was in South Africa to photograph great white sharks when he captured this image of gulls in the fishing town of Gansbaii. The kelp gull is a common resident on the coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. Read below to see how Howard achieved this interesting visual effect.
- dsashin, CNN iReport producer

I was at Gansbaai (near Cape Town) in South Africa a few years ago to photograph great white sharks from a boat. I was using a “pole cam”—a camera in a waterproof housing attached to a long pole, which is lowered into the water and fired by pulling a line attached to the trigger release on the housing. We had finished photography for the day, so the crew threw overboard what was left of the bait we’d been using to attract the sharks. We then noticed a commotion on the water’s surface, caused by kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus) arriving to feed on the discarded bait. I lowered the pole cam back to surface level and pulled the line, shooting with a wide-angle (17mm) lens and placing the camera housing’s dome port very close to the gulls. The interesting angle of this image was the result. Photo: Ken Howard

TAGS:

GROUPS:

What do you think of this story?

Select one of the options below. Your feedback will help tell CNN producers what to do with this iReport. If you'd like, you can explain your choice in the comments below.

For our international users, please be aware that the information you submit when registering for our services is collected in the United States of America. In addition to being subject to our Privacy Policy, the collection, storage, and use of your data will be subject to U.S. laws and regulations, which may be different from the laws and regulations of your home country. By registering for this service, you are consenting to this collection, storage, and use.

Create your screen name

Please create a screen name. This screen name will be associated with your
iReport stories and comments on this site.
It cannot be changed once you make a selection.